Potential USPS changes could alter how businesses ship

July 29 2013

There have been a number of rumors about how the United States Postal Service (USPS) will be changing because of a multi-billion-dollar deficit that has been created for numerous reasons. There has been talk of eliminating Saturday delivery, limiting door-to-door service, creating "cluster delivery" sections for new developments and reforming the employee pension plan.

According to the Associated Press, last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a piece of legislation that would allow those changes and others if it is passed through congress. Because of the 22-17 party-line vote in favor of the Republican-backed bill, there may need to be changes if it hopes to pass the Democratic-led Senate. However, many believe the changes contained in the bill are needed to ensure the survival of the nation's mailing system.

"A balanced approach to saving the Postal Service means allowing USPS to adapt to America's changing use of mail," Rep. Darrell Issa told the news source. "Done right, these reforms can improve the customer experience through a more efficient Postal Service."

Issa believes that with these changes, the USPS would be able to save $20 billion by 2017. If this hope is correct, it could dramatically change the way that businesses' shipping needs are handled. However, some of these changes could leave a gap in companies' logistics operations. This could be the time that many organizations revisit their shipping options. One step can be to partner with a local business courier service that could provide a number of benefits.